Arshavin costs €10 million now – agent

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Published time: July 03, 2012 13:17
Edited time: July 03, 2012 17:17

Russia’s captain, Andrey Arshavin, won’t be staying at Arsenal and is most likely to continue his career in Turkey, football agent Andrey Lakhter, believes.

­“Arsenal will do everything to get rid of Arshavin,” Lakhter told Sovetsky Sport newspaper. “Just look at how many new players [coach Arsene] Wenger has bought for the attacking line.”

“Why should the team keep a man, who gets a serious salary, but only spends from 10 to 15 minutes on the pitch from time to time? It’ll be even more difficult to sell him later. For now Arshavin’s past achievements are still remembered and he somehow managed to come up with three assists at Euro 2012,” he added.  

According to the agent, Arsenal would ask around €10 million for the Little Russian, and there aren’t too many sides, who’ll be willing to play that much.

“Only the clubs in the MLS are able to pay such money, but they won’t do it,” he said. “There’s also Anzhi, but after the recent changes in the club, I don’t think they need him as well.”

Lakhter said that are still some a chance Arshavin will stay in the English Premier League, joining the competition’s rookies from Reading, owned by Russian billionaire, Anton Zingarevich.

“There can also be options in the Gulf – Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates,” the agent stressed. “Although, knowing Andrey’s ambition and his high opinion of himself, one can assume that he won’t go in this direction.”

“I know that two Turkish clubs really want him in their ranks,” he added.

Lakhter didn’t specify the names of those club, but, according to Russian media reports, one of them is most likely to be 18-times Turkish champions and 2009/10 UEFA Cup winners, Galatasaray.

“The most important thing for Andrey [who is 31 years old], now is to go somewhere where he’ll be paid well,” the agent concluded.

After lacking gaming practice at Arsenal, Arshavin returned to his former side Zenit on loan this winter.

But the Saint Petersburg side have no desire to buy out his transfer, following some harsh words the player said to the Russian fans after the team’s early exit from Euro 2012.